Animated sign



P-YPE'H, ANIMATED SIGN. APPLICATION FILED 10, I920.

Patented June 21, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- G. R. PYPER v ANIMATED sms.

' APPLICATION FILED SEPT- I0, @920- ,3 3 v PmteaJunm wm.

2 SHEETS$HEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. PYPER, or SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, ASSIGNOR ro PYLPER ANIMATEDSIGN COMPANY, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH,

A CORPORATION OF UTAH.

ANIMATED SIGN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 21, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE R. PY'PER, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and Stateof Utah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AnimatedSigns, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to signs or display devices, and is concerned witha novel structure and method by which I secure the effect of animationwithout the necessity of switching separate lights on and ofi' as hasbeen the general practice heretofore.

To this end, I employ a series of shutters pivotally mounted between alight or lights and a generally opaque screen plate having lighttransmitting portions outlining the design or display, and I providemechanism whereby these shutters may be moved in a desired Way to shutoff the illumination from adjacent light transmitting portionssuccessively to darken them for an instant, and thus produce theappearance of motion.

To illustrate my invention, I annex hereto two sheets of drawings inwhich the same reference characters are used to designate identicalparts of which Figure 1 is a front elevation ploying my-invention;

. Fig. 2 is a substantially horizontal section on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4: is an enlarged detail showing the action of the rotary cammechanism in moving the shutters.

In carrying out my invention, I preferably employ a casing 10, which ispreferably constructed of sheet metal and will have the design anddimensions necessary to contain the proper parts for the particular signto be animated. As I have shown my invention as applied to an automobiletire, I have employed a square casing, as seen in elevation, andrectangular in horizontal crosssection. The screen plate 11 forms thefront of the casing, and has depicted thereon with as much elaborationasmay be desired the particular article being advertised or illus trated,such for instance as the automobile tire 12 shown, and the general shapeof the article is outlined by a series of light transmitting portions13, 14 and 15, which preferably take the form of a series of aperof asign em- .a circle, and preferably tures through the screen renderedtranslucent by securingon the back of the screen plate behind theapertures a sheet or sheets 16 of thin paper, which may be colored inany manner desired to produce any desired color eflect. The illuminationof these light transmitting portions is preferably effected by a singleincandescent lamp 17 of a high candle power that is located at thecenter of the casing, or more specifically at the center of the tire,and which may be supported on the back of the casing as shown, and issupplied with current in any desired manner. Located between the screenplate 11 and the light 17 are a plurality of shutters 18, which arepreferably segmental in outline and are arranged radially as shown, sothat each shutter can be made to cover one each of the three series oflight transmitting portions 13, 1 1 and 15. These shutters have thebearings 19 at their ends, which are preferably formed of light metalrods extending the length of the shutter and beyond the ends thereof andmounted in the" bearings 20 and 21 formed on the rings 22 plate 11. Eachrod 19 is rigidly secured to its shutter and has an upturned end2 1,'in

the path of the cam teeth 25 formed onwthe" periphery of the cup-shapedwheel 26 which is journaled on a hollow bearing 27 secured in the shortsleeve 28 which is conveniently supported by four rods 29 having theiroperates the belt 32 which is driven from the small pulley 33 on thearmature shaft plate arranged in I and 23 secured to the back of thescreen I of the small electric motor 34 supported on the bottom of thecasing. Each of the shutters is provided with a helicallycoiledtorsional spring 35 having one end engaging the end of the shutter,while its other end engages the rear surface of the screen plate 11 sothat the torsion of the spring tends to hold the shuttersintheirsubstantially vertical position in which they do not interfere with thepassage of the light from the lamp 1? through the light transmittingportions 13, 14 and 15. The cam teeth 25 have the straight edge 36 whichengages the upturned end 24 of the rod 19 and quickly r of the teeth 25retains the shutter in the light obstructing position for the desiredlength of time, after which the end 24k of the rod engages the curvedreleasing surface 38 which is shaped so that the spring 35 cannot throwthe shutter back too violently. As many of these teeth 25 are providedas it is desired to have shadows on each tire, and it will of course beunderstood that the principle will be employed if only a single tooth 25were used, although I preferably employ a plurality, as shown.

As I may desire to employ a constantly illuminated central portion, suchas apertures 39 outlining the letters forming the name of the tire, Ihave made the wheel 26 of the shape shown so that the illumination fromthe bulb 40 which is mounted in the end of the bearing stud 27 does notreach the light transmitting portions'13, 14: and 15, but only thecentral ones 89. These apertures 39 are preferably covered by a thinsheet of paper 41 which is employed for the same purpose as the paper16.

- While I have shown and described my invention as embodied in the formand as carried out by the apparatus which I consider best adapted forits purposes, it will be understood it is capable of modifications andthat I do not desire to be limited in the interpretation of thefollowing claims except as may be necessitated by the state of the priorart.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnitedStates is:

'1. In a display apparatus, the combination with a screen plate havinglight transmitting portions to outline a design, of a source of lightback of the screen plate, a

plurality of shutters mounted between the screen plate and the light andcapable of standing at an angle that does not interfere with the passageof the light through the light transmitting portions and also at anangle that does, and automatic means for moving the shutters atdetermined intervals from one angle to the other and back am. 2. In adisplay apparatus, the combination with a screen plate having lighttransmitting portions to outline a generally circular design, of acentrally located source of light back of the screen plate, a pluralityof radially extending shutters between the light and the screen platecapable of standing substantially at right angles to the sur I face ofthe screen plate and likewise parallel thereto, and automatic means forswinging the shutters at determined intervals from one position to theother and back again.

3. In a display apparatus, the combination'with a screen plate havinglight transmitting portions to outline a generally circular design, of acentrally located source of light back of the screen plate, a pluralityof radially extending shutters between the light and the screen platecapable of standing substantially at right angles to the surface of thescreen plate and likewise parallel thereto, springs to hold the shuttersnormally in one position, and a rotating member having a cam surface toengage and move the shutters one after another to the other positon.

i. In a display apparatus, the combination with a casing having a screenplate with light transmitting portions to outline a design forming thefront thereof, of a centrally located source of light within the casing,a plurality of pivoted shutters mounted between the light and the screenplate capable of standing at an angle that does not interfere with thepassage of the light through the light transmitting portions and also atan angle that does, a'concave disk mounted to rotate within'the casinghaving an annular cam surface at its periphery, projections from theshutters adapted to be engaged by the cam surface, and means forrotating the disk.

5. In a display apparatus, the combination with a casing having a screenplate with light transmitting portions to outline a design forming thefront thereof, of a centrally located source of-lig'ht within thecasing, a plurality of pivoted shutters mounted between the light andthe screen plate capable of standing at an angle that does not interferewith the passage of the light through the light transmitting portionsand also at an angle that does, a concave disk mounted to rotate withinthe casing having an annular cam surface at its periphery, projectionsfrom the shutters adapted to be engaged by the cam surface, and meansfor rotating the disk, consisting of a motor connected by. a belt withthe belt groove in the periphery of the disk.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and afiixed my seal, this2 lth day of August, A. D. 1920. I

GEORGE E. PYPER. at

Witnesses: K. W. YEATES,

H. E. WALLACE.

